Chapter 874: Conspiracy
Chapter 874: Conspiracy
"I really didn't put my name into the Goblet of Fire."
On the way back to the Gryffindor common room, Harry finally confided in Albert.
"You've said that already." Albert replied gently, "I believe you didn't do it."
"Why?" Harry asked.
He didn't know why he was asking, perhaps out of agitation or simply a desire to talk.
"What do you mean, why?" Albert asked.
"Sorry." Harry apologized, looking embarrassed.
"What is it that you want to know from me?" Albert asked, eyeing Harry's flustered state with amusement.
"I want to know... why you believe me," Harry said, looking even more embarrassed.
"Then I'll tell you, and I hope it won't make you uncomfortable." Albert paused before the tapestry concealing the secret passage and pushed it aside, stepping into the passageway, "Your magical power is indeed stronger than that of your peers, but in my opinion, you are not yet a powerful wizard."
Harry felt inexplicably agitated by this statement. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"To deceive a magical artifact like the Goblet of Fire, which possesses strong magical power, would require an exceptionally powerful Confundus Charm. I'd wager that the piece of parchment with your name on it only had your name and not the name of the school." Albert explained to Harry.
"How did you know that?" Harry blurted out, he had always felt that Albert knew a lot of things.
For a long time now, he had given him this impression, as if he had some knowledge of everything.
"The person who put your name into the Goblet of Fire couldn't actually interfere with the Goblet's selection process, so they had to resort to the simplest method—using a Confundus Charm to confuse the Goblet into thinking that there were four schools participating in the Triwizard Tournament. In other words, the Goblet mistook you for a participant from a fourth school, and since you were the only one from that school, you naturally became its champion. That's why your parchment didn't have the name of a school on it, and since you're a student at Hogwarts, there are now two champions from Hogwarts." Albert explained.
"How do you know all this?" Harry asked, his eyes wide with surprise as he stared at Albert. He had never imagined that the truth could be like this.
"It's just a guess, most people could probably guess some of it, not as detailed as what I've said though." Albert clarified, "Dumbledore could definitely guess what I've just said."
"But why...?" Harry started to ask.
"That's the kind of scheming adults get up to." Albert said disdainfully, "You'll understand when you leave Hogwarts."
"But why would he do me such a favor?" Harry realized what he had just said and corrected himself, "I mean, why would that person help me enter the tournament?"
"You're quite confident in yourself, aren't you?" Albert said softly, "While confidence is a good thing, I think you would have had a hard time completing all three tasks without any help. While cheating is a tradition in the Triwizard Tournament, don't expect Dumbledore or Professor McGonagall to help you cheat. At most, Professor McGonagall might provide some conveniences, like opening the restricted section of the library to us."
Harry felt belittled and couldn't help but feel annoyed.
"You probably didn't understand the hint Mr. Crouch gave, did you?" Albert continued.
"What hint?" Harry asked, looking confused as he watched Albert's retreating back.
"The courage to face unknown things." Albert recalled, "There's a record of it in the Triwizard Tournament of 1792. The champions had to catch a creature with the body of a chicken and the tail of a snake. Our first task will likely involve facing such dangerous magical creatures."
Harry stood there with his mouth agape, staring at Albert. He couldn't imagine how he would be able to capture such a creature on his own.
"By looking at the cases from previous Triwizard Tournaments, it's not difficult to speculate on the nature of the tasks." Albert explained, "So, if you were faced with the task of capturing a dangerous monster, what would you do?"
Harry's face turned slightly pale as he realized why Albert was saying these things, and he didn't think Albert was teasing him.
"Of course, that's the worst-case scenario. Perhaps the Ministry of Magic will capture a few Acromantulas from the Forbidden Forest and use them as our opponents. Or they might get a monster to guard some kind of treasure, and then we'll have to steal the treasure from the monster. Ancient wizards liked to use dangerous magical creatures like Acromantulas to guard their homes or treasuries. By the way, Gringotts has trolls and dragons as security."
"You're right." Harry said with a bitter smile, "If that's really the case, it would be an impossible task for me."
"Don't worry, you still have good friends. If all else fails, Sirius and Lupin will help you figure something out." Albert patted Harry on the shoulder in consolation, "Cheating in the Triwizard Tournament is quite normal, and I dare say that the other champions will definitely cheat as well."
"What about you?" Harry asked, looking at Albert.
"Me? I think I won't need to cheat." Albert said confidently, "Although it may sound arrogant, I don't think the Triwizard Tournament will be very difficult for me."
Harry was taken aback and asked the question he most wanted to know the answer to, "Who do you think put my name into the Goblet of Fire?"
"You know, don't you?" Albert reminded him with a smile.
"I know?" Harry looked even more confused.
"Yes, you know." Albert affirmed.
"I... wait, are you talking about Voldemort?" Harry asked, as if he had just remembered something, and blurted out the dreaded name.
"I think so." Albert replied.
But how could Voldemort ensure that my name was put into the Goblet of Fire?
He should be far away, weak and alone... no, Voldemort wasn't alone... Harry remembered dreaming about Voldemort talking to Wormtail... they were probably plotting to kill him.
"Wormtail?" Harry said suddenly, "Wormtail is one of the creators of the Marauder's Map, he must know a lot of secret passages, and he can turn into a rat and easily sneak into Hogwarts Castle without anyone noticing."
"Yes, he's definitely one of Voldemort's followers. You'd better be careful." Albert nodded in agreement.
"But why would Wormtail attack you and try to stop you from participating?" Harry asked in confusion.
"First, the attacker may not be from the same group as the one who put your name in. They may simply want to stop me from participating in the Triwizard Tournament and prevent Hogwarts from winning." Albert explained.
"Second, if Wormtail was the one who attacked me, the reason he doesn't want me to participate in the Triwizard Tournament is probably to prevent me from winning..."
"Why would he want to stop you from winning?" Harry was even more confused.
"Because they know that if I participate in the Triwizard Tournament, the probability of anyone else winning is very low." Albert said, "Although it may sound like I'm bragging, I think I can win, and Wormtail obviously wants to do something to the winner or after the third task."
Harry remained silent for a long time, and although he was a little unconvinced, he agreed with Albert's words. The other boy's track record was the best proof, and those numerous world-class championships were Albert's source of confidence.
As they chatted, the two unknowingly arrived outside the Gryffindor common room.
"I just heard that someone has been chosen as the school's champion." Fat Madame stared at the two boys in front of her, her eyes wide.
"Blathering," Harry said, giving the password.
"Oh, dear." Fat Madame opened the door for them to enter.
As Harry stepped inside, Albert lingered outside.
"Aren't you coming in?" Fat Madame looked at Albert in surprise.
"The Gryffindors are a bit too enthusiastic. I think it's best if I wait a while before going in," Albert said helplessly to Fat Madame, hearing the commotion coming from behind the portrait.
"So, Violet wasn't lying. You two really have become Hogwarts' champions." Fat Madame pressed.
"Of course it's true."
A pale-faced witch barged into Fat Madame's portrait.
"Yes, someone signed me and Harry up," Harry replied.
"Someone signed you up?" Fat Madame asked curiously.
"I suspect it was Professor Moody," Albert said, placing the blame squarely on Moody's shoulders. Whether or not the professor was responsible, everyone would assume it was him once the news spread, and he would have to deal with the fallout.
"As for who signed up Potter, I'm not so sure," Albert added.
"I knew you would be one of the champions. Many of the portraits predicted it would be you," Violet said to Albert.
"Nonsense," Albert said, casting a Disguise Charm on himself. He then asked Fat Madame to open the door so he could sneak in unnoticed.
"Absolutely not!" the witch exclaimed.
"It's the password," Fat Madame reassured her, turning to let Albert into the common room.
As the portrait swung open, the din of voices rushed into Albert's ears once more. Everyone was crowding around Harry, the unfortunate savior, who was now trapped in the midst of the frenzied Gryffindors.
No one wanted to listen to Harry's explanations or protests; they were simply intent on celebrating.
Seeing this, Albert breathed a sigh of relief and quietly made his way through the crowd, heading upstairs to his dormitory for a late-night snack.
"As expected, I was right to be cautious," Albert thought with satisfaction, pleased with his foresight.
It was fortunate that Harry drew their attention first, otherwise, being surrounded by the enthusiastic Gryffindors would have been unbearable. Poor Mr. Potter had experienced this firsthand.
Meanwhile, back in his office, Barty Crouch Jr. cast an Anti-Intruder Jinx and a Silencing Charm before beginning to smash things in a fit of anger and frustration. He broke the Sneakoscope on his desk, but it did little to ease his anger. Every time he thought of Albert's sincere thanks, he felt an urge to tear the boy's face apart. Finally, in a fit of rage, he turned his wand on the real Moody, who was locked in a trunk, and cast the Cruciatus Curse.
After torturing Moody for a while, Barty Crouch Jr.'s anger subsided, and he began to write a letter to the Dark Lord, informing him of the evening's events.
All of this was Wormtail's fault, he thought. He suspected that Wormtail had failed to control Albert, and that his disappearance was merely an act.
Barty Crouch Jr. wasn't trying to shift the blame. Even if someone else had voted for Albert, it would have been difficult to ensure he became a champion.
In fact, at the moment of voting, if the person's name didn't match the one on the parchment, the contract would be invalid, and the person wouldn't be chosen by the Goblet of Fire. The only way to manipulate the selection process was to use a powerful Confundus Charm, as he had done, causing the Goblet to become confused and make a mistake.
However, an ordinary student wouldn't have the capability to do so, and the other professors, unaware of Albert's disappearance, wouldn't have attempted such a thing either.
Therefore, there was only one truth: Albert Anderson had signed himself up for the Triwizard Tournament. This was the only explanation for the previous events.
It had been Wormtail's task to prevent this from happening, and he had failed.
Undoubtedly, Wormtail's clumsy actions had aroused Anderson's suspicions, which was why he had tested him earlier. Furthermore, this incident had already caught Dumbledore's attention, leaving Barty Crouch Jr. unable to act for the time being. He would have to resort to a backup plan.
While it was risky to kidnap Harry during the third task, he could buy the Dark Lord more time by diverting Dumbledore's attention. This could be achieved by arranging for someone to die unexpectedly during the third round of the tournament.
This was a simple matter for him. He could kill someone with the Avada Kedavra curse and then throw the body to the monsters, making it look like they had been killed by the creatures.
The death of a champion would surely shift Dumbledore's focus and give the Dark Lord the time he needed.
Barty Crouch Jr. outlined his plan in a letter to the Dark Lord. However, this letter sealed Wormtail's fate.
"Wormtail, you truly are a disappointment," the Dark Lord said, his red eyes cold as he stared at his servant, who was writhing in pain on the floor.
"Master, I am certain that the Mudblood was under my control," Wormtail argued. "He didn't have time to sign himself up after drinking the love potion, unless someone else did it for him."
"Lies," the Dark Lord said, raising his wand to cast another Cruciatus Curse on Wormtail. "You weren't even there to witness the Mudblood drinking the potion. I dare say he saw through your little scheme. Don't make excuses for your incompetence."
Wormtail writhed in pain on the floor, his body convulsing.
At that moment, Wormtail regretted returning to the Dark Lord's side. He hadn't gained much from it, and he was constantly running errands and enduring the Cruciatus Curse.
After torturing Wormtail, the Dark Lord refrained from feeding him to the snake, perhaps considering that he needed someone to help with the potion-making and the resurrection ritual, as Barty Crouch Jr. couldn't manage it all alone.
Of course, the more important reason was that they had a backup plan. Even with Albert in the Triwizard Tournament, it wouldn't affect the ultimate outcome.
For Peter, one of the victims in this situation, it wasn't all bad luck. If he could take advantage of Barty Crouch Jr.'s actions to kill Albert, enduring the Cruciatus Curse would be worth it.
As for the Dark Lord's death threat, Peter wasn't too concerned. He knew that before the Dark Lord's resurrection, he wouldn't be fed to the snake, as the Dark Lord would need someone reliable to assist with the resurrection ritual.
While Barty Crouch Jr. might be loyal to the Dark Lord, Peter understood that he was temporarily unavailable and unable to help restore the Dark Lord's body.
(End of Chapter)
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